Does Smoking Affect Your Sight?
Almost everyone is aware that smoking increases their risk of lung cancer and heart disease, but did you know that smoking can also affect your sight? Studies show that smokers are more susceptible to developing vision problems and eye diseases that can have serious repercussions on their vision. At The Vision Center of West Texas in Fort Worth and Lubbock, TX, we want you to be fully informed about the dangers of smoking to eye health so you can take measures to protect your sight.
Your vision is a precious gift that shouldn’t be taken for granted. Quitting smoking can help you prevent irreplaceable vision loss.
Risk of Smoking to Vision
Smoking can be hazardous to your eye health at any age. Long term smokers, however, face greater risks of developing eye diseases.
If you smoke, you’re more prone to getting cataracts and age related macular degeneration (AMD) which affects your central vision. Although cataracts, another eye disease that smoking encourages, can eventually be removed through surgery, AMD cannot. The effects will only worsen over time. The longer you smoke, the more damage you cause to your sight.
Smokers double their risk of developing uveitis, a serious eye condition that affects the uvea of your eye, causing pain, redness and blurred vision. Left untreated, the condition can damage the retina, cornea and lens of your eyes, leading to permanent blindness.
Smoking makes you more susceptible to diabetic retinopathy, a disease that causes irreparable vision loss. There is no cure for this disease, but symptoms can be managed by protecting your overall health.
If you have dry eye, smoking will aggravate your symptoms, keeping you from enjoying quality sight.
How to Protect Your Sight
If you're experiencing vision problems, contact your Lubbock TX optometrist right away for an eye exam. To improve eye health and vision, kick your smoking habit as soon as you can. Don't take unnecessary chances with your sight.
Visit Your Fort Worth or Lubbock, TX, Optometrist Today
For quality eye care services for your entire family, contact The Vision Center of West Texas in Fort Worth and Lubbock today.